SEWARD, Neb. – After a loss and win this past week, Concordia sits tied with Hastings at the top of the league standings deep into their 2023 campaign. Their toughest week of the season comes against conference opponents College of Saint Mary (3rd) and Hastings (1st-tied) as the Bulldogs vie for the top spot. The matchups are set for Wednesday (Oct. 11) at home versus CSM and Saturday (Oct. 14) on the road versus Hastings. With two wins, the Dawgs would guarantee full ownership of the conference, with only three regular season games remaining after this week. The team conceded their first conference loss (1-0) against Morningside and grabbed a win (1-0) on the road at Jamestown, putting their current record to 9-3-1 overall and 5-1-1 in the GPAC.
This Week
Wednesday, Oct. 11 vs. CSM (6-2-4, 4-1-2 GPAC), 7 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bulldog Stadium
Saturday, Oct. 14 at Hastings (10-1-1, 5-1-1 GPAC), 8 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Lloyd Wilson Field (Hastings, Neb.)
By the numbers
· Concordia started out slow versus Morningside, and the Mustangs capitalized in the 25th minute with a goal by Keyera Harmon. Down 1-0 fairly early, the Bulldogs played tight and were outshot (14-4) in the 90 minutes. With a high 3.5 goals per game average, they were limited to three shots on goal in the match. Ore showed tremendous poise to keep them in the match, grabbing four saves with Morningside pressing in. The two leading scorers were held in check to one shot as Savannah Andrews left the game in the 52nd minute due to injury, and Kierstynn Garner was surrounded by a very defensive attack after the early goal. The team was unable to stay true to themselves as head coach Nick Smith commented postgame, “A little bit tonight, we showed that we are a younger team in not staying true to what was working, even though it wasn’t resulting in goals.” The Bulldogs would be unable to score a goal through the 90 minute slate, falling 1-0.
· The team responded with a great all around team performance, winning (1-0) against Jamestown on Saturday (Oct. 7). Concordia had never won in Jamestown with a previous 0-2-1 record before this match. Smith sprinkled credit up and down the roster for the effort on a chilly fall evening. Concordia held the lead virtually the entire way thanks to Garner’s GPAC leading 13th goal of 2023. Garner took advantage of the Jimmies’ high line and was played through on a perfectly executed pass by Sierra Springer. Grace Soenksen and Taylor Slaymaker were on top of their game in the defensive side of the match, along with the ever growing Shelby Rugg and birthday girl Sadie Mares. These mentioned , along with the others on defense, sealed the fifth shutout through their 13 games. The team was without Andrews for the entire 90 minutes with a previous injury from the Morningside match.
· Over half way through the GPAC slate, Concordia is tied for first place with Hastings garnering a 5-1-1 record, which totals 16 points. CSM has a 4-1-2 record which puts them in third, after the two previously mentioned, with 14 points. Dordt and Midland round out the top five teams with an identical 4-2-1 record (13 points) keeping them in the hunt for the league title. Since 2018 the league moved to 13 teams, pushing the regular season champions to at least 31 points every year. The only teams left with the ability to win 31 points are Concordia and Hastings, showing the leagues’ depth to make every point matter in the standings at the end of 2023. The majority of teams have five GPAC games left and with the league still tight on points, it looks to be a fight to the finish.
· Grace Soenksen has now played in 85 matches, putting her at No. 2 in the program history. She passed two players this past week, with the most notable being her sister Esther Soenksen (84). Grace will look to pass her sister once again, this time in the games started category as Grace has 82 and Esther has totaled 83 before the CSM match. Garner kicked in another game winning goal against Jamestown climbing her season total to five, tying her game winners from her freshman season. Having totaled 10 for her career, she has put herself tied for fourth with Gentri Brown (2003-2006) and tied for third in the single season record with last year’s performance and a few others.
College of Saint Mary
The Spires make the trip to Bulldog Stadium with a 6-2-4 overall record and a 4-1-2 GPAC performance in 2023 thus far. They have GPAC wins over Midland (1-0), Dakota Wesleyan (1-0), Mount Marty (8-0), and Northwestern (2-0). Their biggest loss came from Dordt (5-1) on the road and tied Waldorf (1-1), who sits toward the bottom of the league. CSM most recently lost (1-0) to Harris-Stowe State University (Mo.) by a penalty kick. The Spires have scored 20 goals in 12 games, averaging 11. 2 shots per game (.609 SOG percentage). They have more assists (23) than goals, with the offense creating chances by multiple passes. Jimena Estrada Gómez is their leading goal scorer (four) and point scorer (11). Kylie Anderson and Marissa Ring have had three goals apiece for the visitors. Abbie Anderson always finds herself on the front end of a goal as she is tied for the most assists (seven) in the conference. They are a highly decorated defense team that wins in close matches by way of their goalie Alivia Schade. She has started every game and has not played in less than 10 minutes the entire season. What is even more impressive, she has allowed 1.01 goals per game, has 62 saves, and a .849 save percentage. This puts her in many of the top five categories for the conference for goalkeepers.
Hastings
The No. 24 Broncos will be a tough out, bringing their 8-1-1 (5-1-1 GPAC) record to the stage. If both teams win on Wednesday, this match could be for the GPAC regular season championship on Saturday (Oct. 14). They have beaten GPAC foes Mount Marty (5-0), Midland (1-0), Morningside (4-2), Waldorf (2-1), and Dakota Wesleyan (5-0). Their only loss in the conference came from the hands of Briar Cliff on the road, in a 1-0 loss. They have given up four goals in seven conference games and Hastings is the team favored to win the GPAC. They have scored 30 goals in 12 games, averaging 14.9 shots per game (.634 SOG percentage). Jackson Pederson started all but under 25 minutes and has claimed the lowest goals against average (0.60) in the conference. She has 25 saves, a .781 save percentage and five solo shutouts. Dekota Schubert and Naomi Pedroza both share seven goals apiece with Schubert adding a massive seven assists, tying the league most. Megan Lampe has had six assists and one goal making her presence felt on the front end of scores.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will step on the field in Sioux City, Iowa versus Briar Cliff on Wednesday (Oct. 18), then host senior day versus Waldorf on Saturday (Oct. 21). The matches are listed below and will be hosted at Faber Field and Bulldog Stadium.
Wednesday, Oct. 18
1:30 p.m. – vs. Briar Cliff
Saturday, Oct. 21
4:30 p.m. – vs. Waldorf